


Read My Mind

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Matthew Casey, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26352205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Matt's always taken pride in being able to guess exactly what people are going to order. Which is it's so surprising when Sylvie Brett walks into his shop and orders a straight black coffee, and leaves him with the desire to know more.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 21
Kudos: 61





	Read My Mind

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 2 of Fandom AU Fest: Romance / Romantic Comedy
> 
> Also with [an aesthetic](https://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/post/628658380452528128/read-my-mind-fic-aesthetic-by-tabbytabbytabby)

Matt's gotten pretty good at guessing what kind of drink people are going to order. Sure, there are some surprises. Like the uptight businessman who likes the sweetest Frappuccino’s Matt can make. But mostly he's gotten it down. 

He's sure the blonde in front of him is going to order something sweet. Sweet enough to match the smile she's directing at him, and that has his heart flipping. God he really needs to focus so he doesn't make an ass of himself.

Except his mouth has other ideas when she orders straight black coffee. "Absolutely not."

The woman blinks. "Excuse me?"

"There is no way you drink black coffee," Matt says. 

She raises an eyebrow. "No? What do I drink then?" Her eyes drift to his name badge and then back up, meeting his gaze with a challenge. " _Matt_. Something sweet and girly?"

"No!" Matt hurries to say. "I was going to say sweet because your smile is sweet. And I realize now how creepy that sounds so I'll just go make that black coffee you asked for."

He's halfway to the machine when her voice calls him back. "You didn't even have me pay."

Matt turns to find her smiling and can't help but return the smile. "This one's on me."

“My name’s Sylvie,” she says as he walks away. “You know, for the cup.”

Her smile might be sweet, but there's a fire inside her, beckoning Matt closer, making him want to know more. He makes her drink, and then hands it over with a smile. His stomach flips when she returns it. 

“See you around Matt,” she says, stepping back from the counter. 

“I hope so,” he says quietly.

“Yo Brett,” a woman calls by the door. “You got my coffee?”

Sylvie’s steps falter, and she turns back to look at Matt with wide eyes. He raises an eyebrow and she shrugs. “You still don’t know my order.”

“Oh I’ll find out,” he tells her.

She laughs and turns back to her friend that’s waiting by the door. Matt shakes his head, the smile not leaving his face as he walks back to the register. He’s happy in the knowledge that maybe he hadn’t been wrong after all.

***

“So,” Sylvie says, leaning against the counter. “What’s your guess this time?”

Matt studies her face, lips pursed in thought. “Something white chocolate.”

“I do love white chocolate,” Sylvie says. “But no.”

“You know, one of these days you’re going to tell me what your coffee order is,” he says. He rings up her usual order of a water and a chocolate chip cookie, and hands both over.

“Maybe,” Sylvie says. “But maybe it’s fun to leave you guessing.”

“Yeah I see how it is,” Matt laughs. “You just like driving me crazy.”

“Something like that,” Sylvie says. “Someone to keep you on your toes, Matt Casey.” She checks her watch and sighs. “I have to get to work. If I’m late, Forster will kill me.”

“Right,” Matt says. “We can’t have that.”

“No, then who would leave you stumped with their coffee order?” she teases.

“Have a good shift,” he tells her.

“You too.”

She smiles and waves and then heads towards the door. Like every morning for the last 3 months Matt is left wondering about the enigma that is Sylvie Brett.

“When are you finally going to ask her out?” Severide says, startling Matt. He hadn’t even realized he was there.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matt says.

“Oh, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Severide says. “Sylvie. She comes in here every morning, and even lunch most days, and you _always_ insist on waiting on her and then you make heart eyes at her the whole time.”

“I do not make heart eyes,” Matt mutters.

“You do,” Severide laughs. “Man, you have the biggest heart eyes I have ever seen when you’re looking at her. So when are you going to put us all out of our misery and ask that poor girl out?”

“She might even like me,” Matt tells him. “And then what? I make things awkward and she never wants to get coffee here again?”

“She does like you,” Severide says. 

“Yeah? How would you know that?”

“Well for one, it’s obvious,” Severide says. “Two, I’m dating one of her best friends. I’ve heard things.”

“What sort of things?” Matt asks. “Has she talked about me?”

Severide laughs and shoves his shoulder, “Dude you are so gone on her.”

“I’m just curious,” Matt says.

“Yeah, sure. Curious. You’re wanting to know if the girl you like is talking about you.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” Matt points out.

“Yeah and you haven’t answered mine either,” Severide reminds him.

“Because I don’t have an answer,” Matt says. “I like her, sure. She’s great. Amazing. But I don’t want to ruin things by making assumptions.”

“You wouldn’t ruin anything,” Severide assures him. “Trust me, she likes you. In fact, she only comes in here when you’re working.”

“She does?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen her walk by and stop and look inside, and when she didn’t see you, she kept going,” Severide says. “So yes, she likes you too. So do us all a favor and do something about it.”

He pats Matt on the back and then walks off to the door when his girlfriend Stella is waiting. Matt’s left with his thoughts for the rest of the day. He can’t stop going over and over what Severide said. Was he right? Did Sylvie like him? 

God he feels like a teenager again. It’s ridiculous. Maybe Severide has a point. He likes this girl, so he should ask her out. They’re adults. Even if she doesn’t like him that way, there’s no reason they can’t still be friends. 

But from what Severide said, it seems likely his feelings are returned. Why else would she only come here when he’s working? And why would she come to a coffee shop and only get water and a cookie when there are a hundred other places in the city she can get exactly that, and probably closer to her apartment. 

And then it hits him. Why she comes here. Why Matt can’t ever guess what type of coffee she drinks, despite always knowing what everyone else is going to order. He doesn’t know how he didn’t see it sooner.

Sylvie comes in at lunch, right before Matt’s shift ends, and Matt is ready. He has the water and the cookie on the counter before she reaches it. 

“So now you can read my mind,” Sylvie teases.

“You get the same thing every day,” Matt says. “You could get that anywhere else in Chicago, and yet you come here.”

“Maybe I like the company,” she says.

“Yeah, I think you do,” Matt says, leaning across the counter towards her. “And I finally figured out why I can’t get your coffee order right.”

“And why is that?” she asks, mirroring his position.

“Because you don’t like coffee,” he guesses.

Her face is impassive for a moment, but then she smiles. “You finally figured me out, Matt Casey.”

“That I did,” Matt says. “What I don’t get is why you kept coming back? At least at first.”

“You intrigued me,” she tells him. “I wanted to get to know you, I guess. And even if I wasn’t drinking coffee, coming here still became my favorite part of the day.”

“Mine too,” Matt tells her. He watches her for a moment, trying to work up the courage to do what he should have done weeks ago.

“Go out with me,” Sylvie says suddenly.

He laughs, “I’d love to. Though you did kind of just beat me to the punch.”

She shrugs, “It’s the 21st century. A girl’s allowed to ask out a guy if she likes him.”

“Definitely,” Matt says. “I get off in fifteen minutes.”

“And I’m off the rest of the day,” Sylvie says. “So maybe we can grab lunch?”

“Yeah that sounds great,” Matt says.

She smiles and leans in, kissing him on the week. “I’ll see you in fifteen minutes. Don’t be late.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he tells her.

He watches her go with a smile as she walks over to one of the tables and sits down. The last fifteen minutes of his shift seem to stretch by agonizingly slow. His gaze keeps drifting to where she’s sitting by the window. Every so often she’ll catch him looking and smile. A smile Matt knows he’ll never grow tired of seeing. He’d see it every day for the rest of his life if he could. Now maybe he’ll have the chance.

Later, over a breakfast of pancakes, Matt will find out about Sylvie’s aversion to coffee. She’ll tell him that she’s never even tried it, and Matt will insist on trying to find her one she likes. He has a point to prove, after all. And yet, when he finally convinces her to try something, she scrunches her nose after the first sip and pushes it away, telling him to never try to poison her like that again. So maybe coffee isn’t for everyone. And maybe he doesn’t have to have it all figured out. Some things are better when you learn them along the way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments make my day 💜  
> You can find me [here on tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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